Building Dedicated In Honor of Fallen Officer Jerry Cline
Significant Upgrades Made to Building at Albuquerque's Largest Public Tennis Center
On Saturday, March 23, the Albuquerque tennis community met at the newly refubished Jerry Cline Recreation and Tennis Center to honor fallen officer Jerry Cline and officially open the doors and put a brand new face on Albuquerque public tennis.
Mayor Richard Berry opened the Saturday afternoon ceremonies with guests from the tennis community, including USTA staff and volunteers, Jerry Cline Neighborhood Association members, as well as current officers of the Albuquerque Police Department.
Jerry Cline Recreation and Tennis Center architect Lee Gamelsky, along with young tennis players from the community (pictured, right), cut the ceremonial ribbon to re-open Albuquerque's largest public facility (18 courts) and its sparkling new digsr.
The new $3.5 million, 7,254 square foot Jerry Cline Recreation and Tennis Center was essentially an upgrade to the existing on-structure for staff, and not so much the actual tennis courts.
The previous pro shop was essentially a portable trailer. The new building is a significant increase in space and modern design/decor, and will house the City of Albuquerque's parks and recreation department as well as the tennis staff on site. It provides a whole new experience for the Albuquerque tennis community, the Albuquerque Parks and Recreation department and the surrounding neighborhoods.
The facility now includes:
* large meeting spaces for events and organizations
*Wi-Fi internet access for the public on site
*needed city staff offices
*more public restrooms, tennis locker rooms, and city storage space.
*Large patio leading to the tennis courts to be used for tennis gatherings, events, and tournaments.
Mayor Berry spoke of the city's efforts to get the facility built and attendees were given tours of the building and served refreshments during the Saturday afternoon re-grand opening.
"A lot of folks have been hard at work on this for some time, and it’s great to see the final product," the mayor said. "This shows - with the cooperation from our local and state representatives, and, regular folks in neighborhoods - we can use taxpayer dollars in a smart way for the community."
A small tennis festival for youth was also held as part of the day's activities, as well as a USTA Northern New Mexico junior tennis information presentation on the pathway including Jr. Team Tennis, Junior Grand Prix events and a high performance discussion.
To see the KRQE news story released on the facility re-grand opening, click
here.
Swing by when you are in the neighborhood, thank the City of Albuquerque and the Parks and Recreation Department on their efforts to get these new digs built, and definitely get out on the courts and play!
It's a public facility the city of Albuquerque and our tennis community can truly be proud of now! To see more pictures from the event, click
HERE.
Thank You to the Following
Outdoor Patio Improvement Donors
TABLE SPONSORS
Coleman Vision Tennis Championships
Ali and Kent Hootman, honoring Hunter & Coleton
New Mexico Activities Association
USTA Northern New Mexico Tennis Association
USTA NNMTA Leagues
New Mexico Youth Tennis Foundation
DONORS OF $250 OR MORE
Amy Badger
Dolores Canfield
Duane & Lisa Denning
Eat, Play, Love League
Highpoint 3.5 Women’s Team
Sue Jollensten
In Honor of Zora "Cindy" Jollensten
Kathy Kolankiewicz
Sara Loetscher, MD
Sarah Ortmann
Steve, Barbara, Jessica & Gabrielle Otero
Mary Othmer & John Myre
Janet Saiers
Pam Sullivan & Tom Tumolillo
DONORS OF $250 OR LESS
Beth Chase
Kathleen Coffee
Gary and Regina Elkins
Terry Hernandez
Jan Harper
Dick Johnson
Jud, Becky, Olyvia & Chloe Lee
Melanie Tuck
Mary Wommack & Jim Mackenzie
Dan Williams
Funding Acknowledgements
2007 & 2009 G.O. Bonds - $2.5M
2010 State Grant by Representative Park - $519,750
2011 G.O. set aside by Councilor Cook - $350,000
2011 COA Parks and Recreation East Side Park Improvement Fund - $92,000
2013 NMYTF & NNMTA Tennis Community Donations $15,400